Former Washington Governor Mike Lowry remained a force for good well after he left public office, Washington Governor Jay Inslee said this week following the passing of Lowry at age 78 on Monday.
“Trudi and I send our sincere condolences to the Lowry family and friends. Mike Lowry served with compassion and humility,” Inslee said in a statement. “He had a big heart and cared deeply about the people of this state.
“Mike led efforts in the 1990s to provide health care for all Washingtonians, and his work lives on today through coverage for low-to-moderate income families. After he left public service, Mike continued to be a force for good through his involvement in many nonprofit organizations and charitable causes, including those delivering services to the homeless and providing housing for migrant workers.
“Mike will be missed, and I know all Washingtonians join me in keeping him and his family in our hearts,” Inslee said.
Lowry served as governor from 1993 to 1997, after 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. A lifelong Democrat, his political career began in 1975, with his election to the King County Council.
Lowry passed away May 1 following complications of a stroke, according to his family.
Lowry was a passionate defender of fairness for people and the environment, his family said, and was known as a courageous leader who was often willing to take early stands on sometimes controversial issues.
His initial legislation in Congress was the nation’s first proposal to provide restitution for more than 110,000 Japanese Americans and Aleuts interned in prison camps during World War II. As a newly elected congressman, he also fought to uphold century-old Indian treaties and Supreme Court decisions to protect Indian fishing rights.
His other signature acts in Congress included the 1984 Washington Wilderness Act, and his work to get federal funding in response to the AIDs crisis and assistance for the homeless.
As governor, Lowry focused on health care, welfare and housing policies. He also called for the Legislature’s 1995 Special Session, which set up funding for the creation of what is now Safeco Field.
After leaving public office, Lowry worked pro-bono on numerous nonprofit organization projects. He later launched and headed the Washington Agricultural Families Assistance, which is building homes for farmworker family homeownership in central Washington.
Lowry was born in St. John, in Whitman County, Washington, where his family had first homesteaded in 1882. He graduated from Endicott High School and from Washington State University.
He was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Helen Lowry and sister and brother-in-law Beth and Orman Vertrees. Lowry is survived by his wife Mary Lowry; daughter Diane Lowry Oakes; son-in-law Scott Oakes; grandsons Tyler and Lucas Oakes; sister Suellen Lowry; nephews Keith Vertrees and Matthew Hibschman; and niece Ann Vertrees.
